Assurance
by Mari Nighthaze
Summary: Lovino and Antonio are going out. However, Lovino is more insecure than one would think, and a few hurtful words have him questioning Antonio's feelings for him. Can some well-timed eavesdropping show him the truth?


Welcome to my first foray into the world of Hetalia, as well as yaoi! It figures, I try to write a romance and it still ends up being mostly comedy. -_-' Oh, well.

DISCLAIMER: Hetalia doesn't belong to me. But if I did, then I would literally own the world, and everyone would be forced to do my bidding! The world would make me waffles and get me a dinosaur! MWAHAHAHA! *cough* Moving on.

WARNING: This is shounen-ai. As in yaoi. As in boy's love. As in homosexuality! Can't handle the gay? Then go away!

Well, that's everything. Read, enjoy and, if the spirit moves you, leave a review! I'd love to know where I went right and wrong.

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><p>Lovino walked out of his fourth period class, glancing around cautiously before starting down the hall towards the cafeteria. There was no sign of brown curls, sun-kissed skin, or bright green eyes among the students starting to flood the halls. The coast was clear.<p>

Huh, that was weird. His idiot boyfriend, Antonio, usually accosted him as soon as he set foot in the hallway, and then refused to let go of him until they got to a table. And even then he usually forced Lovino to sit in his lap so he could still hug him. So where was he today?

…Not that he missed him or anything! He was glad the bastard wasn't hanging all over him! And he definitely didn't like having those arms around his waist as he walked, or Antonio babbling in his ear asking about his day, or that special smile he always seemed to save just for Lovino…

Okay, so maybe he liked it a little. But that was all, dammit!

He made it all the way to the cafeteria without seeing Antonio. Lovino scanned the room, trying to catch a glimpse of him. Not because he was worried, of course, he just wanted to know where he was, because… because… Because he felt like it, that's all!

Lovino turned, finally catching sight of Antonio at a table right by the door. He started walking towards him, ready to yell at Antonio for not calling him over when he walked in, blatantly ignoring the fact that he hadn't noticed the Spaniard either.

Getting closer, he saw Anontio sitting with his two obnoxious friends, and… a girl?

One of those annoying girls who always wore too much make-up and too little clothes was sitting at the table. In _his _seat, Lovino observed irritably, talking to _his_ Antonio. His eyes narrowed, and he stalked over, ready to give that girl a piece of his mind.

As he got closer, he saw her toss her hair and run a hand down the arm of an uncomfortable-looking Antonio.

"So, do you want to go to be movies with me after school?" She asked, giggling shrilly.

Make that his fist.

"I'm sorry, but like I said, I'm already in a relationship," Antonio said, gingerly taking her hand off his arm and putting it on the table.

"But why would you want to go out with that little brat instead of me?" She demanded. "I would be way better for you, all he does is yell and curse at everyone!"

Lovino froze a few feet behind Antonio and the girl. No one at the table had noticed him, Francis and Gilbert too busy listening to what the girl was saying to see him, and he couldn't seem to move as the girl kept speaking.

"And he never listens to anyone, he just stands around being miserable all the time!"

Antonio glared at the girl and opened his mouth to explain exactly how much time she had to get out his his sight (ie, not very much), when Lovino snapped. He stepped forward, slamming his hands on the table and glaring at the girl. If looks could kill, she would have spontaneously combusted in her chair.

"KEEP YOUR FUCKING OPINIONS TO YOURSELF, YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!"

Before anyone could react, he was gone, running through the doors and ignoring Antonio calling after him: "Lovi, wait!"

He stumbled into a random classroom and, finding a broom closet, crawled inside and curled up in the corner, hugging his knees to his chest and telling himself that those _weren't _tears running down his cheeks.

He didn't know why the things the girl said had affected him so much.

Okay, so maybe he had a bit of an idea. In the very back of him mind, there was a part of him that was wondering if she was right.

He _was _difficult and loud, and he _did _always curse, and he knew he wasn't that fun to be around and that everyone liked hanging out with his brother more than him. So, why _was _Antonio going out with him? Did Antonio even like him, or did he just feel sorry for him because he didn't have many friends?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices coming down the hall.

"Are you sure he came this way, Antonio?" That french bastard, Francis, was saying.

"Yes, I saw him! He's got to be around here somewhere!" Antonio responded, and Lovino could hear the door to the room he was in open.

"Why do _we _have to help you find him?" Gilbert complained. "This is so unawesome!"

Lovino listened, surprised. Antonio was looking for him? He felt a bit of hope; maybe he was just making too big a deal out of it.

He started to get up and out of the closet, but the next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"That chick may have had a point. Why are you even going out with him, Toni?" Gilbert asked. "He's always such a jerk, even to the awesome me!"

"Lovino _does _seem rather difficult to handle," Francis agreed. "I makes me wonder why you like him so much."

Lovino stopped, looking through the keyhole and into the room instead. He glared at Francis and Glibert, wanting more than anything to jump out and punch them both in the face. As if he needed to be reminded about what he already knew.

"Don't say those things about him!"

Lovino's eyes widened as he heard Antonio's voice.

"You don't know why I like him because you don't know him the way I do!" Antonio cried. Lovino stared through the keyhole, watching as Antonio glared at his friends.

"Lovi's different than you think he is. He doesn't want to show anyone his true self, so he blocks everybody out. And when people get too close he lashes out to keep them back, so people just assume he's mean, but he's not!" Antonio began pacing as his friends stared at him, surprised looks on their faces. He continued, his voice getting softer.

"Lovi tries to keep people out, so he doesn't have to depend on anyone. But if I try really hard, he let's me in. And every time I get to see more of Lovi, the real Lovi, I find more things I want to know about him." By now, Antonio was staring off into the distance, a dopey smile on his face.

"Being with him every day, seeing him smile when he thinks no one's looking, and making him blush like a little tomato, and seeing him pretend to be angry when I hug him, and everything else he does that makes him Lovi is the best thing in my life, and I never want to give that up. Never in a million years."

He stopped, glancing at them and smiling softly. For a moment, no one spoke. Then-

"Whipped."

"Gilbert!" Francis admonished, slapping him over the back of the head.

"Ow, hey!"

While they were bickering, Lovino sat in the closet, frozen in shock. Antonio actually thought those things about him? He adjusted his position, trying to catch a glimpse of Antonio's face.

He didn't even notice he was leaning on a broom until it toppled over, catching a pile of buckets and sending them tumbling to the ground with a resounding crash.

"_Shit_." He whispered.

The three in the classroom all whipped around at the sound.

"What was that?" Francis asked. Gilbert jumped up.

"It's a spy!" He cried excitedly. "Let's interrogate him! With weapons! The awesome me will do it!"

The others rolled their eyes. "I don't think it's a spy,_ amigo_." Antonio said, striding over to the closet.

"It's probably just a-" he opened the door and his eyes widened in shock as Lovino fell out and landed on the ground in front of him.

"_Lovi,_" He breathed, taking in the tear-stained face and disbelieving expression.

As soon as Gilbert saw Lovino, he grabbed Francis's arm and started dragging him out of the room. Though, of course, the awesome Gilbert wasn't afraid of anything, Lovino _could _get a _little _bit scary when he was in a rage. And though he was fairly sure that 'Potato Bastard Number Two' ranked lower on Lovino's hate list than 'Perverted French Bastard,' he really didn't want to take any chances if Lovino went on a murderous rampage.

So, ignoring Francis's insistance on seeing the _l'amour, _he exited quickly stage left (okay, through the door) with the Frenchman in tow, leaving Antonio and Lovino alone. There was silence for a moment, then Antonio seemed to remember that Lovino was still on the groud.

"Are you alright, Lovi?" He asked, kneeling down and helping the Italian to his feet. Lovino, flushing slightly, yanked his arm away, looking down at the ground.

"D-did you really mean that? What you said?" He asked quietly. And no, he wasn't avoiding Antonio's gaze, he just found the pattern of the carpet really cool. Oh look, there was a stain that looked a bit like a slice of pizza! Maybe there was another one nearby that looked like a tomato…

He musings on the carpet were interrupted as he felt fingers under his chin, lifting it gently so that his gaze could meet Antonio's. The spaniard smiled at him, brushing a stray lock of hair from his face.

"Every single word, _mi querido." _He whispered. "It doesn't matter what any bitchy girls say. You are the greatest thing in the world, and I like you way more than I ever would anyone else, or even tomatoes."

Lovino rolled his eyes and called Antonio a bastard, though he couldn't keep a small smile from his face, and his tone was more indulgently exasperated than anything else. And when Antonio kissed him, he was more than happy to make use of that broom closet for something other than sitting in misery.

And so the score stands:

Lovino: 1

Antonio: 2

Bitchy Girl: -473

Elizveta: 5 billion (for being smart enough to install cameras in every broom closet in the school.)

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><p>I don't know about anybody else, but I've always thought Antonio would be the type ramble on and on about Lovi if given the chance ^-^<p>

If you're a self-respecting Hetalia fan and don't know the meanings of the phrases in foreign languages that are in here, I pray for you.

But I shall tell you their meanings anyway.

amigo- friend (spanish)

l'amour- love (french)

mi querido- my dear (spanish)

Well, I hope you enjoyed this giant fluff monster. Hasta la pasta!


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